the AMC is (almost) here!!!

Hundreds of grassroots media makers and social justice organizers are on their way to Detroit. And hundreds more are getting ready to greet them, at the 10th Annual Allied Media Conference, June 20-22, held on the campus of Wayne State University.

“While there are many media conferences held throughout the year, none approach grassroots media-makers, policy organizers and media justice fellow-travelers with as much focus, intention and urgency as the Allied Media Conference.” — Siyade Gemechisa, 2007 AMC Participant

Register now!

At the 2008 AMC you’ll find over 60 hands-on workshops, film screenings and focused discussions such as:

• Using What You Got to Create & Promote: Grassroots Video Production
• The Future of Censorship
• Be the Web: Using Web 2.0 Innovations to Organize and Connect
• Slingshot Hip Hop (Sundance Film Festival 2008 Official Selection)
• Using Google Maps for Youth Community Organizing
• The Art of Awesome Facilitation
• Plotting a Media-based Economy for Detroit’s Future

and so much more…

Over 15 youth organizations will come together to run the Youth Media Lab– a hotbed of hands-on activity in the basement of the conference center– throughout the whole weekend.

The AMC provides childcare, and for the first year, we will offer a “kids track” of media-based activities for kids in the childcare area.

For the second year, INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence collaborates with the SPEAK Women of Color Media Justice collective and the AMC to produce a track of sessions aimed at using to media to end violence against women and trans people of color.

Popular education is woven into every aspect of the conference.  But the Popular Education track is especially designed for educators looking  to incorporate new media-based curricula into their teaching.

When it comes to media policy work, the AMC empowers media-makers at the grassroots to understand and shape the policies that directly affect them, rather than default to the experts.  This year, Peoples Production House sponsors a policy track focused on The Future of the Internet.

By day, we get our hands dirty and our minds sharp.  By night, we bowl and we party.  From the bowling party and the shakespeare hip hop/rock show on Friday night to the Emergence music showcase on Saturday night–the AMC is all about the afterhours…

Come early and stay late! The local youth media organization, Detroit Summer will host a pre-AMC youth hip hop show called D-TENSION on Thursday June 19th, and post-AMC tours of the city on the afternoon of  Sunday June 22.

Bring your whole crew. We can’t wait to see you.

~AMC08 Organizers

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click here to see all the sessions in the Women/Trans People of Color track ///////////////////////

Please consider donating to help alleviate travel costs of women of color media makers participating in the INCITE! track. There is no donation too big or too small, and we appreciate the support. Check the widget on the right side of this page >>>> for instructions on donating. Please repost and forward to yr networks!

SisterSong: volunteers needed in Atlanta

via emi:

Greeting Friends and Supporters of SisterSong,

This summer SisterSong has an amazing volunteer opportunity available for anyone living in the Atlanta area.

This summer we are site visiting stand alone pharmacies in the city of Atlanta and requesting Emergency Contraception, an over the counter drug that prevents pregnancy up to 72 hours after unprotected sex. Through our phone surveys, particularly in communities of color, we have identified several pharmacies that are either giving out misinformation or incomplete information regarding Emergency Contraception and its availability. We need young women in the Metro Atlanta area who are willing to walk into a pharmacy and request this vital over the counter drug. We also welcome teens and parents willing to engage pharmacists as well.

By summer’s end, SisterSong will produce a report card grading the pharmacies performance on EC availability, customer service, and accurate information.
But we need your help to visit all the pharmacies in the city of Atlanta !

If you would like to participate in our EC Access Project please contact Heidi Williamson at 404-756-2680 or Heidi@sistersong.net ASAP.

Heidi Williamson

Advocacy & Membership Coordinator

SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective

1237 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd.
, SW

Atlanta, GA 30310-1731

T: 404.756.
2680

F: 404.756.
2684

Heidi@SisterSong.net

www. SisterSong. net

Canadian Parliament - War Resister Safe Haven Possible

*Note: Though the particular war resister featured here appears to be a white man, we know that the majority of the people directly put at risk by the war in iraq are poor people of color.  Though the revisited underground railroad for US enlisted POC to Canada prospect seems erie…I hope folks in Canada who read this will help support and provide more options for people rejecting the occupation of Iraq.-love lex Forwarded from Gerry Condon, Soldier Say No/Project Safe Haven See also statement from Amnesty International in support of Corey Glass Refusing to Kill is Not a Crime   www.refusingtokill.net 3 June 2008 Dear Friends of War Resisters, Today the Canadian Parliament made a historic vote in favor of U.S. war resisters who are seeking a safe haven in Canada rather than fight in the illegal occupation of Iraq.  The vote in the House of Commons was 137-110, with all the opposition parties - the Liberal Party, the New Democratic Party, the Bloc Quebecois and the Green Party - voting for the motion, and the ruling Conservative Party voting against. The Parliament calls on the minority Conservative government to create a program that will allow war resisters to immigrate to Canada, and it also calls for a halt to all deportation proceedings. This is a VERY BIG victory for war resisters in Canada and everywhere.  It will strengthen our hand considerably. But the struggle for sanctuary in Canada is far from over. The Conservative government, a staunch ally of the Bush administration, may choose to defy the will of the Canadian people by ignoring this advisory motion. Corey Glass, an Iraq veteran and war resister, was recently ordered to leave Canada by June 12 or face deportation. So even as we celebrate this victory, we must step up the pressure on Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Immigration Minister Diane Finley. [See action alert from War Resisters Support Campaign, below, along with their press release and a news article.] Yes, it does help for the Canadian government to hear from many people in the U.S. who want them to provide sanctuary for our war resisters.  Courage To Resist (www.couragetoresist.org) has generated thousands of letters from people in the U.S. to Canadian government and political leaders and these have clearly helped, as have the vigils and delegations to the Canadian Embassy in Washington and Canadian Consulates around the U.S. Project Safe Haven, a network of Vietnam War resisters who are supporting war resisters today, is calling for people to contact Canadian representatives in the U.S. this week. * THANK the Canadian people and their Parliament for supporting our war resisters. * CALL on the Conservative government to follow the will of the Canadian people and implement this motion. * DEMAND an end to deportation proceedings against Corey Glass and other war resisters You can visit the Canadian Consulate in person. In Seattle, we will have a Celebration outside of the Canadian Consulate, 1501 4th Ave. at Pike St., on Thursday, June 5, at noon.  There will also be vigils and delegations in several other cities. And you can call them, fax them, or email them. Canadian Consular offices are in over 20 U.S. cities. Here are their addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses.  http://geo.international.gc.ca/can-am/washington/offices/default-en.asp If you want to participate in visits to the Canadian Embassy or Consulates, please send an email to projectsafehaven@hotmail.com or call Gerry Condon at 206-499-1220. If you are a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War or Veterans For Peace, you may want to get in touch with your local chapter or national office to let them know you want to participate, and to help organize these events. U.S. war resisters and their wonderful Canadian supporters have won a historic victory.  By acting decisively at this time, we in the U.S. can participate in this victory and help to make it an even bigger one. Thank you for whatever you may be able to do at this time. for peace and justice, Gerry Condon (206) 499-1220 Soldier Say No / Project Safe Haven SoldierSayNo@yahoo.com, projectsafehaven@hotmail.com www.SoldierSayNo.blogspot.com
[The following Action Alert is from the War Resisters Support Campaign in Canada, www.resisters.ca] Canadian Parliament votes to let US war resisters stay The Canadian Parliament passed an historic motion today, June 3, 2008, that calls on the Canadian government to make a program to allow US war resisters to apply for permanent resident status in Canada and to cease all deportation and removal proceedings against US war resisters. The next step is to write to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Diane Finley, and prime minister Stephen Harper to ensure that they that the will of Parliament is implemented. Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Diane Finley phone 613.996.4974 fax 613.996.9749 email finley.d@parl.gc.ca and finled1@parl.gc.ca Prime Minister Stephen Harper phone 613.992.4211 fax 613.941.6900 email pm@pm.gc.ca
War Resister Corey Glass Faces Deportation U.S. Iraq war resister Corey Glass was told on May 21, 2008, that his application to stay in Canada has been rejected and he now faces deportation. Glass would be the first Iraq war resister to be deported from Canada. Last December the House of Commons’ Standing Committee on Citizenship & Immigration passed a motion calling on the Canadian government to “immediately implement a program to allow conscientious objectors and their immediate family members […] to apply for permanent resident status and remain in Canada; and … the government should immediately cease any removal or deportation actions … against such individuals“. [See news articles and War Resisters' press release below]
Canada Lawmakers Ask Harper to Let War Resisters Stay (Update1) Bloomberg - USA The Toronto-based War Resisters Support Campaign estimates there are as many as 200 American Iraq war resisters in Canada. According to a May 22 report in … See all stories on this topic War resister motion passes Kootenay Western Star - Castlegar,BC,Canada By Elliot Robins - Kootenay Western Star - June 03, 2008 Members of Canada’s parliament passed a motion on Tuesday that will give foreign war resisters … See all stories on this topic MPs vote to give asylum to US deserters, Tories say No TheChronicleHerald.ca - Halifax,Nova Scotia,Canada Two generations ago, as many as 50000 American draft dodgers and war resisters came to Canada to avoid the Vietnam War. They were eventually welcomed and … See all stories on this topic
House of Commons votes to let U.S. War Resisters stay in Canada OTTAWA, June 3 /CNW/ - The Opposition parties in the House of Commons joined together today to adopt a recommendation which, if implemented, would make it possible for U.S. Iraq War resisters to obtain Permanent Resident status in Canada The recommendation was adopted by a majority of Members of Parliament from the Liberal, Bloc Québécois, and New Democratic Parties. The Conservatives voted against the motion. The motion, which originated in the House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration in December 2007, calls on the government to “immediately implement a program to allow conscientious objectors and their immediate family members…to apply for permanent resident status and remain in Canada; and…the government should immediately cease any removal or deportation actions…against such individuals.” Corey Glass, 25, a war resister who came to Canada in 2006 and was recently told to leave Canada by June 12 or face removal to the United States, welcomed the vote. “I’m thankful that the MPs voted to let me and the other war resisters stay in Canada. I’m also thankful to all the Canadians who urged their MPs to support us.” “This is a great victory for the courageous men and women who have come to Canada because they refuse to take part in the illegal, immoral Iraq War, and for the many organizations and individuals who have supported this campaign over the past four years,” said Lee Zaslofsky, Coordinator of the War Resisters Support Campaign and a Vietnam War deserter who came to  Canada in 1970. The War Resisters Support Campaign is calling on the Conservative government to respect the democratic decision of the Canadian Parliament and immediately implement the motion and cease deportation proceedings against Corey Glass and other war resisters. For further information: Michelle Robidoux, (416) 856-5008; Lee Zaslofsky, (416) 598-1222 or (416) 369-0864

Rome Summit: Stop the Food Crisis

from AVAAZ: http://www.avaaz.org/en/world_food_crisis/18.php?cl=96793896

The United Nations is convening an emergency summit of world leaders in Rome this week to address the skyrocketing world food crisis. There is a real danger that rich country leaders will push half measures and band-aid solutions – we need a huge global outcry to demand rapid, massive, coordinated action.

The head of the UN, Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon, will receive our petition at the summit at 9:30AM on Wednesday morning. This is a huge opportunity for our voice to reach our leaders directly, but we need half a million voices heard. Sign the petition below, and watch the video appeal at right from the Foreign Minister of Sierra Leone, one of the world’s worst hit nations.

Petition to Rome Summit leaders:
We call on you to take immediate action to address the world food crisis by mobilizing emergency funding to prevent starvation, removing perverse incentives to turn food into biofuels and managing financial speculation, and to tackle the underlying causes by ending harmful trade policies and investing massively in sustainable agricultural productivity in developing nations.

That’s Revolting!: Radical queer activism

That’s Revolting!: Radical queer activism — past, present, and future.
Thursday, June 5, 6pm
San Francisco Main Library
Latino/Hispanic Meeting Room (downstairs)
100 Larkin Street
(415) 557-4566
Co-sponsored by the National Queer Arts Festival.

Join Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore to celebrate the arrival of the
expanded second edition of That’s Revolting! Queer Strategies for
Resisting Assimilation, with a dangerous and illuminating discussion
featuring Carol Queen, Bo Brown, Ralowe T. Ampu, Tommi Avicolli Mecca,
Eric Stanley and Gina de Vries.

Has the nightmare of gay marriage sandblasted the dreams of ’70s gay
liberation revolutionaries? Has the feverish potential of queer sexual
splendor been annihilated by the consumerist frenzy of assimilationist
gay culture? Is there hope for radical queer troublemaking in the
hyper-gentrified monoculture of current-day San Francisco? Bring your
questions, ideas, plots and dreams. And remember, this will be the
first opportunity to purchase the new edition of That’s Revolting!,
with five new essays covering everything from blowing up buildings in
the 1970s to stripping naked to fight global AIDS.

Drum Youth Win Immigrant Education Victory!

DRUM YOUTH WIN
IMMIGRANT EDUCATION VICTORY!

On Thursday, May 15, 2008, DRUM- Desis Rising Up & Moving’s YOUTHPOWER!
won the signing of the FIRST IMMIGRANT SAFE ZONE in a New York City public school.

Hillcrest High School in Jamaica, Queens, with over 3,500 largely immigrant students, became the first school to create protections and needed services to immigrant students to be able to access education without fear.

DRUM YouthPower!’s Education not Deportation campaign, launched in 2006, will keep organizing to declare more schools across the city as Immigrant Safe Zones.

COME OUT & SUPPORT:

Wednesday, June 4th at 3:30 PM
PRESS & COMMUNITY SIGNING OF IMMIGRANT SAFE ZONE DECLARATION
Hillcrest High School
160-05 Highland Avenue
Jamaica Estates, New York 11432
[Take the F train to Parsons Blvd. in Queens]

Thursday, June 5th
Youth Rally against Education Budget Cuts
City Hall
(time & details TBA)
*Organized by Urban Youth Collaborative & NY Student Union

BACKGROUND:

* Since 2005, South Asian immigrant youth leaders of DRUM have been surveying hundreds of immigrant students about the fears and access barriers they face in schools, particularly for undocumented students and their families
* In 2006, DRUM released a ground-breaking report called “Education not Deportation: Impacts of New York City School Safety Policies on South Asian Immigrant Youth”
* 51% of youth reported exposure to harassment by authorities
* Nearly half of youth (45%) reported being asked about their immigration status by authorities
* Most NYC public schools, which are already underfunded and over-policed, have little to no ability to deal with undocumented students
* Undocumented students don’t get financial aid and most scholarships, so many can never afford college

The Immigrant Safe Zone at Hillcrest High School will:

1. Ensure city and DOE laws are actually being followed to protect immigration status information of students and their families- that immigration status is not being asked, compiled, or reported at all
2. Train school workers in the full rights of immigrant students to education and to better serve immigrant youth
3. Create services for immigrant youth and families within the school in partnership with community organizations- DRUM will begin regular programs for youth and parents at Hillcrest High School this year including immigration and deportation advocacy and Know Your Rights trainings

This first victory would not have been possible without the fierce organizing of our South Asian immigrant youth members of DRUM across the city and their families and:
- The Community Development Program of the Urban Justice Center
- The students and administration of Hillcrest High School
- The following endorsing organizations:

Adhikaar
CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities
Center for Immigrant Families (CIF)
Each One Teach One
FIERCE
Families United for Racial & Economic Justice (FUREE)
Independent Commission on Public Education (ICOP)
National Economic and Social Rights Initiative (NESRI)
Queens Community House
Prison Moratorium Project (PMP)
Teachers Unite
Ugnayan ng mga Anak ng Bayan
Urban Justice Center (UJC)
Urban Youth Collaborative (UYC)
VAMOS Unidos
YA-YA Network

Oaxaca in revolt again…

via

A 21 day series of strikes and occupations by the radical Sección 22 in Oaxaca of the Mexican teachers’ union Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores en la Educación kicked off in earnest on Tuesday. As of Thursday, the strike appears to be spreading - with popular support, solidarity and an increasing volume of activity.

The teachers’ strike has various demands, although it’s mostly calling for the freedom for all political prisoners, an end to the arrest orders and ongoing intimidation by the judicial authorities against the movement, new elections within the SNTE, and the handing over of all Oaxacan schools controlled by the pro-government Sección 59.

Sección 22 was instrumental in the 2006 revolt in Oaxaca, where they saw their strike betrayed by the SNTE national leadership in alliance with the Oaxacan state governor, one Ulises Ruíz Ortíz. Sección 59 was established by the priísta SNTE leader, Elba Ester Gordillo, as a rival local to Sección 22 in Oaxaca, and its members were promptly sent back to work as a means of breaking the strike.

However this time round, there seems to be increasing evidence of the strike’s spread into a generalised movement within Oaxaca. On Tuesday, a building belonging to PEMEX (Petróleos Mexicanos - the state petrol monolopy which is on the verge of being privatised) was blockaded, while on Thursday various neighbourhood organisations within the city assisted in the occupation of a Centro de Atención Múltiple, the state institution charged with educating special needs children, which is controlled by Sección 59. MORE

It’s Paradise

via Whenua Fenua Enua

Hip/hop confronting domestic violence

Who is more undesirable, the illegal alien or homosexual?

via

Over the weekend, I was reading some pro-migrant news at a Catholic site that I had stumbled on via Google News Alert service. And on the sidebar, the very site was spewing hatred about same-sex marriage in California. The churches and religious ‘right’ who first established ’sanctuary’ and are very pro-migrant, are also the ones who are very wrong on LGBT issues. So what happens when we have a gay undocumented migrant??

This post has been in my mind for quite some time because lets face it, those of us in the pro-migrant community know undocumented persons who are also gay, lesbian, transgender. This intersectionality is further complicated by our homophobic and heterosexist immigration laws that do not recognize ‘marriage’ or partnership between people of the same-sex, and hence we have undocumented partners who are forced to live in the shadows, break off their relationships or move to another country. MORE

Congressional Hearings on ICE raids

“ICE’s immigration raids have been so sweeping that they have ensnared U.S. citizens, including innocent children, in their dragnet,” said Caroline Fredrickson, director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office. “There are no regulations controlling ICE’s reckless raids, and ICE routinely violates due process while conducting raids.”

During a raid last year in the San Francisco Bay Area, Kebin Reyes, a then 6-year-old U.S. citizen, was detained for 10 hours in an ICE field office after his home was raided by ICE. The ACLU, with the San Francisco Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, sued ICE on behalf of Reyes, arguing that his detention violated his constitutionally protected civil rights. Katherine Gibney, the principal of Reyes’s school, is scheduled to testify in today’s subcommittee hearing.